In collaboration with artists and researchers from various disciplines and including numerous, often literary references, Charrière connects cultural-historical or political questions with research from fields such as geology or biology. His starting point are frequently places where changes are most apparent. For example, Charrière worked in areas contaminated by radioactivity or the icy landscapes of the poles. The physical experience of these places is essential to the artist; travel and expeditions are an important part of his work.

In videos, photographs, sculpture and performances, Charrière creates expressive images that situate debates of environmental politics within a wide frame of reference. This exploration of tensions and contrasts gives the works a complexity and intense visual presence, captivating precisely in its ambivalence.

Julian Charrière studied at the Ecole cantonale d’art du Valais in Sierre and at the University of the Arts Berlin from 2006–2013. He was Meisterschüler of Olafur Eliasson and participated in the renowned Institut für Raumexperimente. He was included in the 1st Antarctica Biennial and at the 57th Venice Biennial among others, and was represented in numerous group exhibitions, such as at Palais de Tokyo in Paris, Sprengel Museum in Hannover or at the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe. His work has also been shown in a number of solo exhibitions, for example at Berlinische Galerie, at MAMbo Bologna, MASI Lugano, Aargauer Kunsthaus in Aarau and at Dallas Museum of Art. Charrière’s work has been honoured with several awards, including the 2014 Manor Kunstpreis in Lausanne and the GASAG art prize 2018; in 2021 he exhibited at Centre Pompidou in Paris as one of four artists nominated for the Prix Marcel Duchamp. His work is represented in numerous public collections such as the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Kunstmuseum Solothurn or FRAC Franche-Compté in Besançon.